Page 26 of The Devil After Dark
It was the longest message I had received from Cassio and it was a fucking meeting summons. I slid my chair back and planted my forehead on my desk. He was infuriating. No mention of the photos or the article or anything. Just a demanding message for a business meeting. I sat up only enough so that I could type a response:
See you at 7
Cassio stepped off the lift right on time. I was waiting for him leaning against the wall. I was annoyed. He had a bad habit of just demanding things from me and I had been fighting with him in my head for the past two hours. I barely moved as his hand found my waist and he kissed me on the forehead. I turned my head away from him a little and his eyes narrowed at me. “Angel, are you okay?”
“Fine,” I responded and turned, walking down the hallway towards the conference room. Cassio closed the conference room door behind himself—not like it mattered. Everyone else had gone home. “What do you need to go over?” I ask grumpily.
Cassio huffed a laugh and crossed the room to me, taking my hips in his hand and pushing me back to the wall. “First, I need you to tell me what has you upset,” he said, his voice low. I rolled my eyes and his thumb and fingers guided my chin up so I was looking at him. “What’s wrong?”
“Did you not see the photos and the articles?” I asked angrily.
He gently kissed my lips. “Of course I did.”
“Were you not going to say anything?” I pressed him.
He kissed me again and his hand slid from my hip to the button on my pants. His fingers opened my pants with ease and his hand slid down my front and over my underwear. His body stiffened and his mouth pulled away from mine. Anger was in his eyes as he looked at me. “Angel. What did I tell you about wearing panties?”
“What?” I gasped in confusion.
“What did I tell you about wearing panties to our business meetings?” He asked, enunciating each word.
I swallowed. “You can’t be serious?” I asked indignantly. “I ask you about the press printing photos of us together and you are worried about me wearing panties? I wasn’t planning on a meeting with you tonight,” I retorted hotly. This was ridiculous.
Cassio’s angry eyes scanned my face. “Did I not make myself clear enough?”
CASSIO
I was not happy to feel the lace under her pants. I had been explicitly clear that she was not to wear underwear to our business meetings. It was a small thing that if she could not remember then she was not respecting me.
She squirmed away from me and I let her take a few steps across the room. “You’re being serious right now?” she breathed, panic lacing her tone. “I forgot, Cassio. Is it really that big of a deal? I have been a little distracted with the fact that we are all over the news.”
“I am serious. Take them off right now,” I ordered her. Her mouth just dropped open as she gaped at me. “Take them off.”
“You are more worried about me wearing underwear like a normal person than the news articles with photos of us together? I can’t believe you. I can’t believe you made that stupid statement about me accommodating you after hours,” she threw her words at me with an attitude I was not appreciating. Of course I was not okay with the fucking news articles.
“What? Did you want me to publicly announce we are together? I already told you that would put you in danger. I am not going to do that,” I reasoned back. She was being emotional about this.
“No! But you didn’t even check in. If you really think there is something between us, then that extends to the daytime too. I don’t care about whatever this is between us being public, but I have to exist to you outside of nighttime. You have to care about me outside of wanting to fuck me,” Liana’s voice raised as she addressed me.
“Liana, calm down. You know you matter to me. Let’s just getthis work done and we can get out of here,” I replied, trying to distract her.
“I guess this is all just business for you,” Liana snapped back. I watched her snatch her bag from one of the chairs and push out of the conference room door. The only thing I wanted to do was chase her down and punish her for daring to talk to me in such a way. Instead, I squeezed the doorframe and held myself back. She needed to cool off. The photos had scared her. She was not used to being in the spotlight and she did not realize that after a day or two none of it would matter. The news would be on to something new and the buzz would fizzle out. I pulled out my phone and called Zac to tell him to give Liana a ride home and come back for me after.
thirty
LIANA
I didn’t hearfrom Cassio for a full twenty-four hours. Now I stood looking at the creamy white bag with golden ribbon handles and gold tissue paper spilling from the top. There was also a little cream white envelope perched in the paper. Was this an apology present? Was Cassio trying to win me over with gifts? This felt too familiar and my stomach sank. I set my things down and gave a wide berth to my kitchen table as I rounded it and went to my kitchen. A few minutes later I was just staring at the bag again, leaning against the wall, and drinking a large glass of wine. I was not opening it. No, I was definitely opening it.
In two strides I was at my table and plucking the card from the golden paper. I tore it open unceremoniously and looked at the neat handwriting.
Since you’re so insistent on wearing panties,
wearthis tonight.
A command. How fucking fitting. Could the man not just apologize? Everything had to be his way and I was tired of it. I tossed the gold tissue paper onto the table and pulled out the crimson lace lingerie from inside the gift bag. The lingerie screamed sexy and submissive. You know, the kind that basically says I like to be tied up and beg for it. I didn’t need more lingerie. I tossed it on top of the discarded tissue paper and gave the lace a crude gesture before retreating to my bedroom. I was going to take a long hot bath and go to bed.
As I crawled into bed, my phone buzzed. It was Cassio, of course.
